From Military Sacrifice to Family Moments: His New Mission Begins at Home

PORTLAND, Texas — After 26 years of service in the United States Navy, Raymond Manahan now spends his days doing what once seemed out of reach: walking his 8-year-old daughter to school, picking her up in the afternoons, and never missing a birthday.
Born in 1973 in Laguna, a province in the Philippines, Manahan moved to Boise, Idaho, at age 12 with his mother and two siblings.
“I actually missed it in the first few years in the U.S.,” Manahan recalled. “I missed going into the jungle in the backyard picking fresh fruits, swimming in the rivers and ponds, playing with my cousins, of course. It was definitely a culture shock.”
In 1995, Manahan joined the Navy, following in the footsteps of his stepfather, who served aboard the USS Enterprise, and later his younger brother. He began his career as a hospital corpsman, eventually rising to the rank of Senior Chief.
“We do a lot of things—basically all the functions of the hospital,” he said. “Whatever jobs you have in the hospital, you have in the Navy.”

From Military Sacrifice to Family Moments: His New Mission Begins at Home